Couple in court after possible infant remains found

Keiven Merz, 51 and Jane Merz, 32, have been arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse.

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) -

Two people were in court on Monday morning on abuse of a corpse charges after investigators find what they believe are the remains of a baby in Adams County.

Keiven Merz, 51, and Jane Merz, 32, were arrested earlier this month for abuse of a corpse. Police say the death of the baby happened in September of 2011.

Both have pleaded not guilty and had bonds set at 10 percent of $50,000.

The Adams County Sheriff's Office collected evidence at the home off State Route 41 in Franklin Township.

The Adams County Sheriff's Office says Keivin Merz was involved in a car wreck on July 2.

"He was distraught, his brother arrived on the scene and he gave us some information in regards to some issues with the family including a small baby," explained Deputy Cooley.

Deputy Shawn Cooley with the Adams County Sheriff's Office says according to Keiven's brother, it was time the police knew about the incident involving the remains of an infant that had been troubling the separated couple for the last two years.

"He was afraid that his brother was going to commit suicide. He wanted some intervention by law enforcement to try and get his brother some help," said Cooley.

Hours after the accident, Jane and Keiven Merz were taken into custody. On Wednesday, authorities searched the Adams County home where they say Jane admitted to the fact that a baby is involved in the case.

"She told us that she put it in a Tupperware container or in a plastic container and stored it in a closet. Sometime after that apparently Keiven located it. She's saying that he burned it. He's saying that she burned it in a burn pile behind the house," Cooley explained.

Deputy Cooley says investigators did find human remains in the burn pile, and there may be more spread out across the property.

"Anytime there's a child involved it's shocking but unfortunately it happens," he said.

The sheriff's office says Jane and Keiven do have three other children, and they're currently staying with other family members. Police stress that at this point it appears that the baby didn't die of anything but natural causes.

Through the course of interviews and gathering evidence, they hope to have a clearer picture of what actually happened, and more importantly, why it happened.

Evidence from the scene of the home has been sent to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office to determine if in fact they are human remains.